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Monday, April 22, 2013
Assassin'sc reed III
Assassin's Creed 3 is a funny beast. It's not the revolution some might have
been hoping for, but there's no denying it could have been. Despite
the new engine, and new setting of 18th century America, there's not enough
here to win over those who haven't enjoyed the series in the past. Then
again, it's seemingly the final part of the current plot arc of
techno-memory traveller Desmond, so at least part of the game would leave
you a little lost if you haven't been following. Not that it matters too
much, to be honest, Desmond is the least interesting aspect of Assassin's
Creed III, even if you have enjoyed the modern day framing up until this
game.
New assassin Connor Kenway (or Ratonhnhaké:ton for short) is theoretically the
real star then, but he's too bland as a character and certain aspects of the
plot (namely the American pillaging of Native American lands) fall flat
because of this. Not that the game really spends much time on this; it's
about the Revolution, after all, dealing with the likes of General Charles
Lee and George Washington. It's this aspect of the game that disappoints.
The main missions range from the usual 'go and kill someone', to some fairly
poor stealth sections, to some abysmal chase sequences. At times, the plot
missions feel like things you're forced to endure to get to the fun stuff,
and that's a shame.
The promised grand battles can see a bit underwhelming too, with Connor
usually at a safe distance, either manning a cannon or dodging fire as he
scoots around the outside of a battle. It's rare you get to be in the thick
of things, at least on land. Boston and New York are relatively weak
locations also, made up of identikit buildings and featuring a frustratingly
obtuse fast travel system. The cityscapes of Italy are sorely missed. It's
lucky, then, that the majority of the game takes place in the Frontier, with
Connor leaping through trees, clambering up cliffs and trekking through the
snow. There's a complex hunting and baiting mechanic, although it's
criminally underused (often it's easier and more productive to simply sprint
up to animals and stab them), but it still makes for an interesting, fresh
location for the series.
However, there are two locations in Assassin's Creed 3 that really stood out,
and in fact made the game for me. First up is the Homestead, an enclosed
area which Connor calls home. Here, you can deal with the daily trials and
tribulations of its new inhabitants, engaging in smaller, more intimate
quests in order to build both a small village, and a successful trading post
over which you have control. While the main plot speeds along at quite a
pace, the Homestead bits really let you get a feel for the characters who've
moved in, and also shed a fair bit more (needed) insight on Connor as a
person.
The other location is simply 'the sea'. The naval battles. The pirate
treasure. The fantastic, explosive, death-defying escapes from burning forts
or collapsing glaciers. The scream and whistle of cannon fire flying
overhead as you and your crew brace yourself on board your ship. The ship
controls themselves are fantastic; the camera's still fixed behind Connor,
at the wheel, so there's a sense of being in the thick of the action while
Men O' War come hurtling down on you as you unleash fire on these leviathans
of the sea. Cinematically they're excellent, the control you have over your
ship is fantastic, and they're far and away the most exciting part of the
game. It's unusual to find something entirely optional to be the must-have
draw of a game, but both the naval battles and the sidequests relating to
Captain Kidd's treasure are definitely a strong contender for 'best reason
to play Assassin's Creed 3'.
On land, the combat and free running have had a bit of an overhaul, although
it's not immediately notable. The free running now only requires you to hold
one button to sprint and climb but it doesn't really eradicate the problems
with leaping off handholds when you don't want to, or occasionally flailing
clumsily. It's not a big deal, it's never been a consistent problem, but
there were still times where I found Connor flinging himself face-first into
the ground when I simply wanted to leap to the next branch. Combat's been
simplified too, although largely functions in the same way. Now it's a bit
too easy to take down swathes of guards, although it's still satisfying to
pull off a string of blocks, counters and executions.
Elsewhere, the multiplayer mode is as fantastic as ever. The new Wolfpack mode
is somewhat reminiscent of Sega's The Club or Resi's Mercenaries mode,
tasking a team of players with killing a bunch of targets and performing
bonus objectives in order to extend a timer, allowing the match to continue.
The Assassin's Creed versus multiplayer is a tense, subtle affair, tasking you
with sneakily killing your opponents in a crowded area. As always, if you go
tearing around levels, leaping off rooftops, you're going to get spotted
pretty quickly. There are a bunch of modes here, with some that are
pleasingly minimalist in terms of HUD and guidance towards your targets.
This makes matches into exciting, slow-paced struggles for survival, made
all the more ominous by the frenzied whispering you hear as soon as a
pursuer is close. On the downside, some of the maps aren't quite as
interesting as in previous games, and a few of the multiplayer characters
look too similar to one another, which is a bit of a pain when it comes to
identifying targets. They're minor gripes though, and with plenty of
customisation and loadout options gradually unlocking the higher you level,
there's a lot of scope for the competitive assassin.
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